Natalie Wood
The Complete Biography
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Narrated by:
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Suzanne Finstad
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Rose McGowan
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By:
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Suzanne Finstad
About this listen
New York Times best seller • The definitive biography of a vulnerable and talented actress, now with shocking new chapters including the reopened investigation into her mysterious drowning.
An ID Book Club Selection • “Impressive, disturbing, and revelatory.” (Variety)
Natalie Wood has been hailed alongside Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor as one of the top three female movie stars in film history. We watched her mature on the movie screen before our eyes in classics such as Miracle on 34th Street, Rebel Without a Cause, Splendor in the Grass, and West Side Story. But the story of what she endured, of what her life was like when the doors of the soundstages closed, had long been obscured.
Based on years of astonishing research, Natalie Wood (previously published as Natasha) raises the curtain on Wood’s turbulent life. Award-winning author Suzanne Finstad conducted nearly 400 interviews with Natalie Wood’s family, close friends, legendary costars, lovers, film crews, and virtually everyone connected to her death. Through these firsthand accounts, Finstad reconstructs a life of emotional abuse and exploitation, of unimaginable fame, great loneliness, and loss. She reveals painful truths in Wood’s complex relationships with James Dean, Frank Sinatra, Warren Beatty, and, of course, Robert Wagner.
Thirty years after Natalie Wood’s death, the LA Sheriff’s Department reopened the investigation into her drowning using Finstad’s groundbreaking research and chilling, hour-by-hour timeline of that tumultuous weekend as evidence. Within a year, the LA Coroner changed Natalie Wood’s death certificate from "Accidental Drowning" to "Drowning and Other Undetermined Factors." In 2018, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department officially named Wagner a "Person of Interest" in Wood’s death.
In this updated edition, Finstad will share her explosive findings from the last two decades. With her unprecedented access to the LASD’s "Murder Book", ignored by the original investigators, and new witnesses who have never spoken publicly, Finstad uncovers what really happened to Natalie Wood on that fateful boating trip in 1981 with Wagner and Christopher Walken. She expands on intimate details from Wood’s unpublished memoir, which affirms her fear of drowning and the betrayal by Wagner that shattered their first marriage.
Finstad tells this heartbreaking story with sensitivity and grace, revealing a complex and conflicting mix of fragility and strength in a woman who was swept along by forces few could have resisted.
©2020 Suzanne Finstad (P)2020 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
“Gripping . . . a sad, penetrating portrait that juxtaposes the storybook myth that made Wood a popular movie actress and the real story of what happened once the cameras stopped rolling.” (The New York Times Book Review)
“A spectacularly comprehensive, moving, shocking, and riveting book. It has put together many pieces of the puzzled life Natalie and I led, and helped me understand what I had not been able to see for myself.” (Lana Wood, Natalie Wood’s sister)
“A poignant, intensely sympathetic portrait of the vulnerable, sensitive little girl who grew up to be the quintessential Hollywood star.” (Los Angeles Times)
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Robert J. Wagner has starred in more than 100 films and television series over the past 50 years. In this deeply personal story, he recalls his rise to stardom. He talks candidly about his relationships with some of the greatest stars of the 20th century, including Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, Barbara Stanwyck, and, for the first time, he shares the details of his two marriages to Natalie Wood. Wagner also offers a fascinating look at Hollywood during the last half of the 20th century.
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Wagner's life, told in a gracious manner
- By Chris on 12-18-08
By: Robert J. Wagner
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Dying of Politeness
- A Memoir
- By: Geena Davis
- Narrated by: Geena Davis
- Length: 7 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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From two-time Academy Award winner and screen icon Geena Davis, the surprising tale of her “journey to badassery”—from her epically polite childhood to roles that loaned her the strength to become a powerhouse in Hollywood.
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so perfect
- By Kimber on 10-16-22
By: Geena Davis
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Growing Up Fisher
- Musings, Memories, and Misadventures
- By: Joely Fisher
- Narrated by: Joely Fisher
- Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Actress, director, entertainer Joely Fisher invites listeners backstage into the intimate world of her career and family with this hilarious, irreverent, down-to-earth memoir filled with incredible, candid stories about her life, her famous parents, and how the loss of her unlikely hero, sister Carrie Fisher, ignited the writer in her.
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Not what I thought it would be but I loved it.
- By Kristopher's Korner on 01-15-18
By: Joely Fisher
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Robert Altman
- The Oral Biography
- By: Mitchell Zuckoff
- Narrated by: Robert Altman, Warren Beatty, Cher, and others
- Length: 18 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Robert Altman - visionary director, hard-partying hedonist, eccentric family man, Hollywood legend - comes roaring to life in this rollicking cinematic biography, told in a chorus of voices that can only be called Altmanesque.
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Enthralling!
- By Wise & Careful Shopper on 10-17-10
By: Mitchell Zuckoff
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You Might Remember Me
- The Life and Times of Phil Hartman
- By: Mike Thomas
- Narrated by: Corey Snow
- Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Both joyous tribute and serious biography, Mike Thomas' You Might Remember Me is a celebration of Phil Hartman's multi-faceted career and an exhaustively reported, warts-and-all examination of his often intriguing and sometimes complicated life - a powerful, humor-filled and disquieting portrait of a man who was loved by many, admired by millions and taken from them far too early.
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I Will Remember You Phil Hartman
- By Roxanna on 12-19-14
By: Mike Thomas
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Everybody Thought We Were Crazy
- Dennis Hopper, Brooke Hayward, and 1960s Los Angeles
- By: Mark Rozzo
- Narrated by: Jason Culp
- Length: 12 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Los Angeles in the 1960s: riots in Watts and on the Sunset Strip, wild weekends in Malibu, late nights at The Daisy discotheque, openings at the Ferus Gallery, and the convergence of pop art, rock and roll, and the New Hollywood. At the center of it all, one inspired, improbable, and highly combustible couple—Dennis Hopper and Brooke Hayward—lived out the emblematic love story of ’60s L.A.
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Wonderful!
- By Rob on 06-07-22
By: Mark Rozzo
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You Couldn't Ignore Me If You Tried
- The Brat Pack, John Hughes, and Their Impact on a Generation
- By: Susannah Gora
- Narrated by: Kelli Tager
- Length: 15 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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The landscape that the Brat Pack memorialized is rich with cultural themes and significance, and has influenced an entire generation who still believe that life always turns out like an '80s movie. You Couldn't Ignore Me If You Tried takes us back to that era, through Susannah Gora's interviews with key players such as Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Andrew McCarthy, and John Cusack, and mines all the material from the movies to the music to the way the films were made to show how they helped shape our visions for romance, friendship, society, and success.
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Brings me back to my teenage years! Fantastic Narration! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- By Amazmama on 06-24-22
By: Susannah Gora
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This Is Your Captain Speaking
- My Fantastic Voyage through Hollywood, Faith, and Life
- By: Gavin MacLeod
- Narrated by: Gavin MacLeod
- Length: 8 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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The remarkable life, career, and faith journey of the star of The Love Boat and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. For 16 years, millions of Americans welcomed Gavin MacLeod into their living rooms every Saturday night. This veteran of stage and screen transformed himself from a seasoned character actor into the leading, lovable father-figure of The Love Boat at the height of TV's boom years. For more than 30 years, Gavin MacLeod has served as the global ambassador for Princess Cruises.
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Get to know Gavin as a person, not the actor
- By Don Lance on 11-16-13
By: Gavin MacLeod
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Chasing the Light
- Writing, Directing, and Surviving Platoon, Midnight Express, Scarface, Salvador, and the Movie Game
- By: Oliver Stone
- Narrated by: Oliver Stone
- Length: 14 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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An intimate memoir by the controversial, Oscar-winning director and screenwriter about his rarefied New York childhood, volunteering for combat, and his struggles and triumphs making such films as Platoon, Midnight Express, and Scarface.
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Impressive
- By Merle O. Tanner on 10-07-20
By: Oliver Stone
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Furious Love
- Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Marriage of the Century
- By: Sam Kashner, Nancy Schoenberger
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 17 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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He was a tough-guy Welshman softened by the affections of a breathtakingly beautiful woman; she was a modern-day Cleopatra madly in love with her own Mark Antony. For nearly a quarter of a century, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton were Hollywood royalty, and their fiery romance - often called "the marriage of the century" - was the most notorious, publicized, and celebrated love affair of its day.
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Paul Boehmer needs more practice
- By Brenda Miller on 06-16-10
By: Sam Kashner, and others
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High Society
- The Life of Grace Kelly
- By: Donald Spoto
- Narrated by: George K Wilson
- Length: 9 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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In just seven years---from 1950 through 1956---Grace Kelly embarked on a whirlwind career that included roles in 11 movies. From the principled Amy Fowler Kane in High Noon to the thrill-seeking Frances Stevens of To Catch a Thief, Grace established herself as one of Hollywood's most talented actresses and iconic beauties.
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Find a better Grace Kelly biography, I'd skip this
- By Daniel on 08-20-12
By: Donald Spoto
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Baby, Don't Hurt Me
- Stories and Scars from Saturday Night Live
- By: Chris Kattan
- Narrated by: Chris Kattan
- Length: 8 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Chris Kattan has defied comparison, expectations, and sometimes gravity with his inimitable style of physical comedy. By creating some of the most memorable Saturday Night Live characters, as well as his many roles in film and television, Kattan has remained one of the most fearless and versatile comedians in the world. Now, for the first time, Kattan opens up about eight seasons on SNL, performing alongside friends and future legends including Will Ferrell, Jimmy Fallon, and Tina Fey, and guest hosts from Charlize Theron to Tom Hanks to David Bowie.
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Funny and complex.
- By Anna Jennings on 05-15-19
By: Chris Kattan
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Stories I Only Tell My Friends
- An Autobiography
- By: Rob Lowe
- Narrated by: Rob Lowe
- Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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A teen idol at 15, an international icon and founder of the Brat Pack at 20, and one of Hollywood's top stars to this day, Rob Lowe chronicles his experiences. Never mean-spirited or salacious, Lowe delivers unexpected glimpses into his successes, disappointments, relationships, and one-of-a-kind encounters with people who shaped our world over the last 25 years. These stories are as entertaining as they are unforgettable.
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Great Book and Great Story
- By Natalie J. Belle MD on 04-30-11
By: Rob Lowe
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Legs Are the Last to Go
- By: Diahann Carroll
- Narrated by: Diahann Carroll
- Length: 7 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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With wisdom that only aging gracefully can bestow, Diahann Carroll talks frankly about her four marriages as well as her other relationships, including her courtship with Sidney Poitier; racial politics in show business; and the personal cost, particularly to her family, of being a pioneer.
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Magnificent
- By Rhonda G. on 04-02-21
By: Diahann Carroll
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So much more to this actress and kind friend
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I loved this book. Bless Lana Wood
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Disappointing...
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What listeners say about Natalie Wood
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Amazon Customer
- 11-01-23
Very interesting
Very in-depth book. Almost a little too long but I stuck it out and enjoyed it
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- Kristopher's Korner
- 11-12-20
The truth finally comes out.
I remember the day that Natalie Wood was murdered this at the time we were told it was an accident.
I have always been a huge fan of hers and I actually started to cry. I always knew things were not as they were told, That gut reaction of “this isn’t adding up.”
Over the years, I’ve often wondered what the real story was/is. This book finally says what must’ve been the real story and how Natasha wasn’t the victim of an accident but a victim of murder by her husband’s own hands, Robert Wagner.
I only hope that the ongoing investigation will someday come to a close with the arrest of Robert Wagner so that Natalie spirit can truly rest in peace, if that’s possible at all.
This book has so much information about Natalie‘s childhood and family that’s a must read for any fan of hers. I wish there were a little more details in the book about the making of some of the movies that she did, but I’m sure that could be found another books.
The important thing is the author of this book has done an amazing amount of research and brought to light all the dirty little secrets that contributed to Natalie‘s murder.
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- Retired Army
- 04-03-23
Heart broken
My heart breaks for her. She had NO one to protect her and as she was crying and pleading for help she must have been broken hearted when she realized that No one was coming to her help her. But God sees all and He is the final Judge.
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- Fran Meyers
- 01-06-24
Amazing account of Natalie Woods life
This book is remarkable and incredibly researched of her life and her tragic death. Very well written!
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- R. F. W.
- 05-19-22
Immersive
I have not read any bio of Natalie Wood before and now I am certain that I need not read another. This work is such a complete and in-depth examination of Natalie's life and tragic death that one needs to seek no further. Suzanne Finstad subtitles her outstanding work "The Complete Biography" and that is precisely what it is. Finstad coverers everything and everyone. Finstad makes the best analysis of the foggy furball of the circumstances surrounding Woods's death better than anything I've ever come across. Rose McGowan does an outstanding reading of this work. The author and narrator combine to pull the listener in close. Highly recommended.
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- Luv Chocolate
- 05-26-20
riveting!
I was hooked from the beginning. Rose McGowan has a clear, precise voice. Suzanne Finstad does honor to the talented and tragic Natalie Wood with her riveting and heart wrenching story.
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- Marilee D
- 11-13-23
Overly long and redundant
Such a sad tale. Doubt this would be of interest to a younger generation who did not know of her. This could have been condensed; there were many redundancies. I almost stopped several times but I tend to finish books I've started.
The most interesting aspect was the conjecture about her untimely death.
Unfortunately, I can't recommend this book to others because of the long, drawn-out story and repetition of events and characterizations of her personality.
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- Donna W.
- 02-15-21
Shocked & Dismayed!
Even days after I have finished this book, I am still haunted by what this little girl, young lady, woman endured throughout her lifetime. Yes, the story was entertaining, only to learn of someone's life that I have always admired but to come away aghast learning of all that Natasha/Natalie had endured & to find that there was absolutely no one to help her along her road. It was sad to learn that so many people wronged her, especially the ones who were supposed to have loved her. I just wish the one responsible for her murder would be held accountable before he dies, I don't care who he is or what his stature is in life, HE MURDERED SOMEONE. Justice NEEDS to be found for this amazing lady!
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5 people found this helpful
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- Joey Rubino
- 04-11-20
Great Audiobook
Loved listening and found myself so captivated that I finished it in 2 days.
Had me excited about the HBO documentary coming out in May2020
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4 people found this helpful
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- Joselo
- 04-19-20
Natasha: Chronicle of a Death Foretold
This is a very well written investigative biography of Natasha Zakharenko, the person who became actress Natalie Wood at the tender age of 6. Born in California to Russian immigrant parents, she was thrust into acting by a ruthlessly ambitious mother, obsessed with making her a star. Much of the book focuses on the split between the glamorous, fantasy persona that Natasha was forced to embrace early on and her more intimate self, who struggled in her search for independence and meaning, sometimes through rebellious behavior. I knew little about her before running into this audiobook, but was drawn to those dark, magnetic eyes, and was surprised to find a beautiful, but tragic story that reads like a haunting novel.
There are many interviews with people that knew her well, including her sister, Lana Wood, who plays a major role in helping decipher the actress. We learn of Natalie Wood's relationships with personalities such as Dennis Hopper, James Dean, Robert Redford or Warren Beatty, some of whom became important friends or lovers. Several figures emerge as villains, in particular her abusive and controlling mother, Maria, and Natalie's two-time husband, Robert Wagner, whom author Suzanne Finstad accuses of murder. The actress drowned to death under mysterious circumstances at the age of 43 and from the start, this book gears up to explain how this came to happen. Also present on the boat where the actress was last seen were actor Christopher Walken and Dennis Davern, the yacht's captain, both of whom are accused here of hiding the truth. (Davern, in particular, is an unreliable sort, who has already changed his account of the events of that night several times.) Others, like Frank Sinatra or director Nicolas Ray, are said to have been sexually involved with Natalie (who was well over 20 years their junior) when she was only 15 or 16. She remained friends with them afterwards, despite what would have legally been statutory rape. It's a complex story and the author has made it her mission to point her finger at people that she believes did Natalie wrong.
To be fair, this is a thorough biography and it didn't only focus on the negative. I felt moved by Natasha / Natalie Wood, who is presented as a very intelligent, hard-working perfectionist, who charmed personal acquaintances and audiences alike. She became one of the most sought-after actresses and was nominated to three Academy Awards for Rebel Without a Cause (1955), Splendor in the Grass (1961) and Love with the Proper Stranger (1963). Her work in Miracle on 34th Street and West Side Story, among other films, was also celebrated. Yet, one has to wonder to what extent she wasn't perhaps a prisoner of her mother's superstitions and aspirations to become part of Hollywood's royalty, or a pawn in a world dominated by social networking and influence. Most of the audiobook feels like a character drama, as it's dedicated to describing the kind of person that Natasha / Natalie was and the challenges that she faced, particularly in finding her true self in a celebrity world of glitter and make-believe. This take on the actress's life is laid out eloquently by the author and apparently backed by Lana Wood. While listening, I often asked myself whether Natalie would have agreed with their perspective. The last four hours of the audiobook are focused on the events that led to her dreadful end. The genre in this last part is true crime, but it feels like noir. It is impossible to assert whether Finstad is correct in her allegations against Wagner, but they certainly raise a lot of unanswered questions. To accuse a mourning widower of having killed his beloved wife is an extremely delicate matter. On the other hand, this doesn't mean that a strange case such as this one shouldn't be investigated, as Finstad has done. It all boils down to whether Wagner really did it or not and only a proper trial could potentially decide that.
Rose McGowan's narration is quite acceptable, but feels somewhat uneven and mechanical. Still, her pronunciation is very clear and it didn't pose a major problem for me. The author also reads some chapters and one can sense in her voice her determination to bring this case to justice. I found it a very compelling listen.
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